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MASSACHUSETTS 
AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 
BULLETIN 


AMHERST.  MASS 

Volume  VIII  Wurnbei  $ 

SEPTEMBER,  1916 

Published  six  times  8 >>ear  b^  the  college 
January,  February,  March,  May,  September,  October 

Entered  ns  second  class  matter  at  the  Post  Oflice, 

Amherst.  Mass. 


THE  DINING  HALL 

The 

Massachusetts  Agricultural  College: 

Offers  a four-year  course  of  study  leading  to 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science. 

Is  open  to  men  and  women  who  have  com- 
pleted a four  years’  high  school  course,  and 
who  can  satisfactorily  meet  the  entrance 
requirements. 

Is  open  to  unclassified  students  not  candi- 
dates for  a degree. 

Provides  a general  education,  at  the  same 
time  allowing  specialized  work  in  one  of 
seventeen  major  departments. 

Had  a registration  of  608  students  in  1 Ola- 
1916. 

H as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  attractive 
campuses  of  any  college  in  America. 

Possesses  excellent  equipment  in  the  shape  of 
buildings,  laboratories,  lecture  rooms  and 
apparatus. 

Comprises  over  600  acres  in  farm,  orchards, 
campus  and  experimental  grounds. 

Is  recognized  in  athletics  and  other  inter- 
collegiate activities. 

Charges  no  tuition  to  residents  of  the  state. 
Expenses  are  moderate. 

Provides  courses  of  study  in  twenty-seven 
teaching  departments. 

Requires  military  drill  and  tactics  apart  from 
the  prescribed  course. 

Is  not  suited  to  all  men,  and  all  men  are  not 
fitted  for  it. 

Requires  a high  grade  of  scholarship. 

Is  not  an  agricultural  trade  school,  but  a real 
college. 


Page  two 


THE  CROSS  WALK 


Why  Go  to  College  ? 

|HE  statement  has  been  made  that 
the  strength  of  our  nation  lies  in  the 
fact  that  every  boy  aspires  to  rise 
above  the  station  of  his  father,  and 
by  virtue  of  our  democratic  opportunity  is  able 
to  do  so.  But  boys  of  college  age  are  not  in 
demand  to-day  in  the  industrial  world  in  any 
position  which  gives  them  a chance  to  grow.  To 
be  sure  they  can  tend  spindles  in  a cotton  mill, 
they  can  drive  a grocery  wagon,  they  can  run 
an  elevator.  But  these  are  not  steps  to  advance- 
ment. “They  are  steps  on  a treadmill,  not  steps 
on  a ladder.  A boy  may  rise  from  them,  but  he 
cannot  rise  by  them.”  Yet  does  it  pay  to  send 
boys  to  college?  Is  the  game  worth  the  candle? 
Can  you  truthfully  assent  to  that  contemptuous 
notice  placed  by  Horace  Greeley  in  his  news- 
paper office:  “No  college  graduate  or  other 
horned  cattle  need  apply”? 

“An  education  is  the  safest  investment;  pays 
the  highest  interest;  is  the  most  readily  convert- 
ed into  cash;  never  depreciates  in  value;  never 
suffers  from  taxation;  is  never  in  danger  from 
thieves;  never  ends  in  a lawsuit;  is  a gain  for  all 
eternity.”  A college  training  affords  an  op- 
portunity, not  only  for  the  acquirement  of 
knowledge,  but  also  for  the  matching  of  that 
knowledge  against  real  problems.  Definite  good 


Page  three 


EAST  EXPERIMENT  STATION 


is  derived  from  new  adjustments.  A college 
man  gets  out  of  himself  into  the  lives  of  others. 
The  college  brings  together  ideas  and  actions. 

The  values  of  a college  training  are  varied, 
but  enriching.  A graduate  from  the  Colorado 
School  of  Alines  claims  he  got  “a  vision  of  life 
work  instead  of  a job.”  Another  from  the 
University  of  Louisiana  maintains  that  he  was 
brought  to  “a  realization  that  I was  worth  as 
much  as  the  average  man.”  A Boston  Univer- 
sity alumnus  makes  this  statement;  “When  I 
entered  I regarded  it  (college  education)  as  a 
process  of  instilling  facts  in  a young  person’s 
mind;  when  I graduated  I knew  this  was  a very 
small  part,  merely  a means  to  an  end, — the  de- 
velopment of  personality.”  From  the  Univer- 
sity of  Georgia  comes  this  confession;  “a  self 
unfoldment,  a diversity  of  interests  in  life,  a 
growth  of  ideals,  of  purposes  and  of  judgment; 
strong  convictions  and  friendships.” 

True,  a great  deal  may  be  said  against  a col- 
lege education,  but  this  fact  remains  that,  “If 
a college  man  has  used  the  opportunities  offered 
by  the  faculty,  he  has  acquired  a wide  knowledge 
of  history  and  a broad  view  of  public  affairs. 
If  he  has  utilized  the  opportunities  offered  by 
his  fellow  students,  he  has  acquired  the  demo- 
cratic spirit,  has  gotten  a grip  on  public  opinion, 
and  has  had  considerable  experience  in  dealing 
with  a large  variety  of  men.  All  these  things 


Page  four 


ON  THE  RIFLE  RANGE 


give  him  an  advantage  in  the  race,  and  statistics 
show  that  he  is  making  good  use  of  them.” 


The  Significance  of 
An  Agricultural  Education 

“The  powers  of  the  American  college  to  de- 
velop individual  initiative  and  leadership  have 
been  decidedly  enhanced  in  recent  years.”  The 
characteristics  of  college  courses  are  determined 
by  two  things;  1st  the  character  of  the  man  to 
be  educated;  2nd  by  the  kind  of  world  in  which 
the  man  is  to  live  and  work.  There  has  arisen  a 
special  class  of  men  ambitious  for  careers  in 
connection  with  agriculture.  The  potentialities 
of  agriculture  are  increasing;  the  opportuni- 
ties are  greater  than  ever,  and  the  demand  for 
men  to  serve  in  its  varied  and  important  fields 
is  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  agricultural  col- 
leges to  supply.  Hence,  the  modern  agricultural 
college. 

What  am  I best  fitted  for?  Have  you  ever 
satisfactorily  answered  that  question?  Isn’t  it 
possible  that  you  might  find  your  forte  in  one 
of  the  several  agricultural  vocations?  The 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  furnishes 
excellent  training  in  nearly  all  of  the  agricultural 
vocations.  Do  not  be  possessed  with  the  idea 
that  because  a man  goes  to  an  agricultural  col- 
lege he  is  doomed  to  a life  of  corn-hoeing,  weed- 
pulling and  wood-sawing.  The  business  of 


Page  five 


SOCIAL  UNION  ROOM 

farming  and  its  underlying  sciences  make  the 
agricultural  business  the  greatest  industry  on 
earth.  Specialists  are  demanded  in  every 
branch.  The  problems  of  food  production; 
making  the  farm  “pay”;  farm  business  and  man- 
agement; advantageous  buying  and  selling; 
economic  problems;  social  and  moral  problems; 
engineering  problems;  educational  problems, 
and  the  fields  of  scientific  investigation  demand 
brainy,  alert  and  ambitious  college  men. 

Opportunities  in  agriculture  lie  along  the 
lines  of  practical  farming,  stock  raising,  dairying, 
poultry  farming  and  farm  management.  Then, 
too,  this  college  training  fits  men,  who  do  not  care 
for  practical  farming,  for  employment  in  gov- 
ernment service,  in  other  agricultural  colleges 
and  experiment  stations,  rural  engineering  and 
other  agricultural  lines. 

The  opportunities  in  horticulture  are  also 
large.  Practical  fruit  growing,  practical  flori- 
culture, landscape  architecture,  forestry  and 
market-gardening  offer  exceptional  opportunities. 
Teaching,  research  work  and  experimentation  in 
these  same  subjects  afford  additional  openings. 

Particularly  in  the  sciences  the  chance  for 
teachers,  research  workers  and  experiment  sta- 
tion men  is  large.  Government  and  state  posi- 
tions as  chemists,  botanists,  entomologists  and 
bacteriologists  are  open  to  the  well  trained  man. 

It  is  gradually  being  realized  that  the  eco- 
nomic and  social  side  of  the  agricultural  business 
must  receive  more  attention.  For  men  with  the 


Page  six 


A STUDENT’S  ROOM 

right  bent  and  training  the  solution  of  these  prob- 
lems offers  work  in  a real,  practical  and  vital  field. 

The  new  field  of  rural  journalism  is  beginning 
to  afford  promising  opportunities  for  men  with 
literary  and  editorial  abilities.  Rural  journal- 
ism is  the  application  of  journalistic  principles 
in  getting  and  suitably  presenting  material 
adapted  to  the  non-urban  rather  than  to  the  ur- 
ban or  metropolitan  reader.  Developing  the 
literary  tastes  and  molding  the  opinions  of  the 
rural  population  is  a most  influential  task  of 
country  editors. 

Opportunities  for  men  to  teach  in  any  phase 
of  the  work  offered  in  the  agricultural  college  are 
always  plentiful.  Men  trained  for  extension 
service  work,  for  farm  bureau  positions,  and 
county  advisors  are  in  demand.  Men  with  an 
inclination  towards  business  professions  have  an 
ample  field  for  devoting  their  talent  to  the  appli- 
cation of  business  principles  to  agriculture. 

The  object  of  the  course  of  study  at  the 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  is  to  give  a 
man  a good  general  education,  and  at  the  same 
time  allow  him  to  specialize  in  any  of  the  de- 
partments in  which  a major  course  is  offered. 
Its  graduates  hold  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility as  practical  farmers,  fruit  growers  and 
landscape  architects;  as  college  presidents,  ex- 
periment station  directors,  extension  service 
directors,  college  professors  and  instructors;  as 
teachers  in  colleges  and  high  schools;  as  gov- 
ernment scientists,  investigators  and  experts. 


Page  seven 


SOUTH  COLLEGE  DORMITORY 


The  Money  Value  of  a 
College  Education 

“Every  farm  boy  has  within  his  reach  a col- 
lege education.  The  acquirement  of  such  an 
education  will  greatly  increase  the  value  of  the 
young  man  as  a citizen,  as  a business  man,  as  a 
leader.  He  may  farm  successfully  without  such 
education,  but  he  will  farm  more  successfully 
with  an  education  in  a college  of  agriculture  than 
without  it. 

“Farm  boys  who  are  looking  forward  to  work 
as  teachers  of  agriculture,  investigation,  county 
agricultural  agents,  service  in  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  or  similar  positions 
must  have  a good  training  in  a college  of  agricul- 
ture. The  demand  for  well  trained  men  of 
ability  is  greater  than  the  supply. 

“It  is  a most  serious  and  fundamental  mis- 
take for  a young  man  to  regard  the  time  spent 
in  careful  preparation  and  training  as  wasted 
time.  Money  invested  in  thorough  preparation 
and  earnest  training  will  yield  a larger  income 
on  the  investment  than  a similar  sum  in  land, 
farm  machinery  or  live  stock.  All  farm  manage- 
ment surveys  show  that  the  educated  farmer  has 
a larger  income  and  a better  living.  At  the 
Missouri  experiment  station  an  investigation 
of  the  incomes  of  554  farmers  showed  that  the 
educated  farmer’s  income  was  71.4  per  cent 
larger  than  that  of  the  untrained  farmer. 
Preparedness  is  a good  motto  for  the  farm  boy.’’ 


P(ujr  eii/ht 


THE  TROPHY  ROOM 

“An  investigation  conducted  by  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  shows  that 
the  labor  income  of  farmers  having  a college  ed- 
ucation is  $495  per  year  greater  than  that  of 
farmers  having  only  a common  school  education. 
In  40  years  the  college  education  would  increase 
the  normal  earning  power  of  the  farmer  by 
40  x $495  =$19,800.  In  other  words  each  of  the 
eight  years  in  high  school  and  college  is  worth 
$2475  to  the  farmer.” 

“One  large  State  institution  gives  the  average 
income  of  the  graduates  of  its  agricultural  de- 
partment, five  years  out,  as  $2028.  Another 
institution,  concerning  the  salaries  of  its  agricul- 
tural graduates,  says  that  those  who  have  been 
out  two  to  three  years  receive  $1450,  four  to 
seven  years  $1800,  eight  to  fifteen  years  $2250, 
sixteen  to  thirty-seven  years  $8800.” 

Requirements  for  Admission 

Students  are  admitted  to  the  freshman  class 
either  upon  certificate  or  upon  examination. 
No  diploma  from  the  secondary  school  will  be 
accepted. 

The  applicant  for  admission  must  be  at  least 
sixteen  years  old,  and  must  present  to  the  Regis- 
trar proper  testimonials  of  good  character. 

All  application  blanks  for  admission  either  by 
examination  or  certificate  may  be  obtained  from 
the  registrar.  Blank  form  for  certification  are 
sent  to  school  principals  or  superintendents  only. 

Certificates  will  be  received  from  those 
schools  of  New  England  which  have  been  ap- 


Page  trine 


ON  THE  FARM 

proved  by  the  New  England  College  Entrance 
Certificate  Board. 

Credentials  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the 
State  of  New  York  are  accepted. 

Fourteen  units  must  be  offered  for  admission. 
The  term  unit  means  the  equivalent  of  at  least 
four  recitations  a week  per  school  year. 

Certificates  to  be  accepted  must  present  at 
least  three  of  the  necessary  fourteen  credits. 

Subjects  lacking  on  examination  (except  for 
the  permitted  number  of  conditions)  must  be 
made  up  at  the  time  of  the  examination  for  ad- 
mission. Conditions  to  the  amount  of  two 
units  will  be  allowed. 


Unclassified  Students 

1.  No  entrance  examinations  required,  but 
applicants  must  furnish  certificates  showing  that 
they  have  completed  a four  years’  high  school 
course  or  its  equivalent. 

2.  No  applicant  under  twenty-one  years  of 
age  will  be  admitted  as  an  unclassified  student. 

3.  Every  unclassified  student  must  do  all 
the  work  of  the  courses  elected,  and  take  all  ex- 
aminations therein;  must  attain  a grade  of  at 
least  75%;  must  pass  in  at  least  two-thirds  of 
his  work  or  he  will  be  dropped  from  college. 

Note:  These  regulations  are  subject  to  revision. 


Page  ten 


Why  Not  Be  a Leader? 

The  term  “college  man”  generally  connotes 
an  individual  of  broad  education  and  thorough 
training.  A college  training  brings  with  it  re- 
sponsibility. That  responsibility  assumes  some 
form  of  leadership.  It  is  a leadership  that  comes 
to  the  man  of  advanced  knowledge  and  superior 
advantages,  who  sees  the  needs  of  his  time  and 
his  community,  and  who  exerts  himself  in  behalf 
of  those  needs.  Every  college  man  by  virtue  of 
the  advantages  he  is  enjoying  is  expected  to  be  a 
leader,  regardless  of  what  college  he  attends  or 
what  profession  he  enters  or  what  community  he 
settles  in.  The  fact  that  people  know  him  to  be 
a college  man  stamps  him  as  a person  who  is  ex- 
pected to  produce  results. 

The  college  man  has  been  accused  of  being 
impracticable,  that  he  is  a dreamer  of  dreams 
and  not  a doer  of  deeds,  that  he  has  no  position 
in  the  strenuous  competition  of  life  to-day. 
Yet  it  is  of  the  college  man  that  things  are  ex- 
pected. In  all  trades  and  professions  of  life, 
in  all  enterprises  of  organization,  in  managerial 
positions,  in  public  office,  and  in  institutions  of 
public  service  the  trained  man  is  demanded. 
You  should  regard  your  prospective  college  ed- 
ucation as  a stepping  stone  to  a dominant  lead- 
ership. 

Why  not  prepare  yourself  to  assume  a com- 
mand in  rural  affairs?  Rural  progress  is  checked 
for  the  lack  of  trained  leaders?  The  broadening 
of  country  life,  its  growing  complexities  and  ris- 
ing standards  are  creating  problems  beyond  the 
reach  of  untrained  leaders.  “Well  trained 
doctors,  ministers,  teachers,  et  cetera,  have  a 
great  chance  to-day  in  the  country,  because 
their  training  finds  unique  appreciation  for  its 
very  rarity  and  efficiency;  while  every  profes- 
sion is  foolishly  overcrowded  in  the  cities.” 


page  eleven 


A Public  Service  Institution 


The  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College 

trains  men  for  agricultural  vocations  and  for 
leadership,  not  only  in  their  vocational  pursuits, 
but  also  in  other  activities  of  life.  To  ac- 
complish these  ends,  the  College  offers  instruc- 
tion in  Agriculture,  Horticulture,  the  Sciences, 
the  Humanities  and  Rural  Social  Science.  A 
student  is  required  to  take  certain  prescribed 
courses  designed  to  insure  him  a general  educa- 
tion; he  may  then  specialize  in  any  one  of  the 
following  subjects: 


Agriculture , 

Agronomy , 

Animal  Husbandry , 
Dairying , 

Poultry  Husbandry , 
Floriculture , 

Forestry, 

Landscape  Gardening , 
Rural  S* 


Pomology, 

Economic  Botany, 
Agricultural  Chemistry, 
Economic  Entomology, 
Microbiology, 

Rural  Journalism, 
Agricultural  Economics, 
Agricultural  Education, 
d Science 


The  Graduate  School  presents  an  opportuni- 
ty for  advanced  study  in  many  of  the  subjects 
enumerated  above. 

The  demand  for  men  trained  at  the  Agricul- 
tural College  is  constantly  increasing,  and  the 
vocational  opportunities  offered  to  these  men 
are  attractive. 

Tuition  is  free  to  residents  of  Massachusetts, 
and  the  expenses  are  moderate.  There  are  op- 
portunities for  the  more  needy  students  to  earn 
a portion  of  their  expenses. 

Are  you  interested  in  this  institution  which 
trains  men  for  effective  service  in  a field  of  en- 
deavor not  yet  overcrowded? 

A catalog  will  be  sent  on  application. 


RALPH  J.  WATTS, 

Secretary, 
Amherst,  Mass. 


September,  19  lb. 

Page  twelve 


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